Technological developments
Technological developments
QuantaSol breaks world record for
single-junction solar cell efficiency
QuantaSol Ltd, a new
solar cell IP and offer devices to
independent designer
concentrator photovoltaic (PV)
systems developers. Imperial
and manufacturer
featured a QuantaSol device as
of strain-balanced
part of its presence at the Royal
quantum-well solar
Society Summer Exhibition in
London this year.
cells, has developed
“Our technology is the
what it believes to be industry’s best kept secret. This
the most efficient single
is the first time that anyone
has successfully combined
junction solar cell ever
high efficiency with ease of
manufactured. manufacture, historically a bug-
Developed in just two years, bear of the solar cell industry,”
QuantaSol’s single-junction said Kevin Arthur, QuantaSol’s
device has been independently CEO. “We’re now gearing up
tested by Fraunhofer ISE as to provide multi-junction cells
to obtain synthetic crystals Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey,
achieving 28.3% efficiency of even higher efficiencies as
that overcome the problems completed a £2m second
at greater than 500 suns. early as Q1 2010.”
associated with current solar funding round this summer. It
QuantaSol was established QuantaSol’s approach
cell designs. It also greatly will now concentrate on cutting
in June 2007 as a spin-out of combines several
enhances the photovoltaic the cost of ownership of solar
Imperial College London to nanostructures, of two or
conversion efficiency. The energy by moving to multi-
commercialize the University’s more different alloys, in order
company, which has a junction devices.
development laboratory in
Test results show see-thru
SolarWindow™ cells surpass
thin-film and solar in artificial light
New tests of New Energy Techologies’ ultra-
small solar cells for use in its transparent
SolarWindow™ have demonstrated
substantially superior performance over
current thin-film and solar photovoltaic
technologies at generating electricity from
artificial light—an important advantage
over conventional solar technologies, which
are limited by their capacity to function
well where exposure to direct sunlight is
available.
“One of the biggest issues with today’s
solar products is their dependency on
direct sunlight, which our cells have
demonstrated the potential capacity to
overcome,” said Mr. Meetesh V. Patel,
Esq., president and CEO. “We’re now
actively working to coat these cells onto
transparent glass in order to fabricate
our SolarWindows, which generate
24 – Global Solar Technology – July/August 2009
www.globalsolartechnology.com
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